Yes, I have been both informed and noticed for myself that our blog has been experiencing some technical difficulties. I have my people looking into the problem.
In the meantime, I’ll try to keep posting, but if you could leave a comment of the issues you’ve experienced, I’ll pass those along to the powers that be.
Thanks,
The Management
After only nine months as the CEO of the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of
Commerce, I have accepted a new position with the California Cut
Flower Commission. The Commission is state agency where I will serve
as the Executive Director/Ambassador, working with flower growers
throughout the state of California.
I am very excited about this new opportunity. In just my first two
weeks I have been able to work on subjects and issues where the
collaborative efforts and nature of the people involved have been
positive and inspiring.
So, how did this happen and why did I make the switch?
The bottomline is that it was an opportunity I couldn’t refuse. I had even
recently mentioned to Tarah that I had always imagined that at some
point my service at the Chamber would result in me getting recruited away. . .which is exactly how
this occurred. The opportunity to go to work for a
statewide agency, working specifically on state and federal issues
that help to improve and sustain the operation of businesses is an
awesome challenge. . .especially in California.
That said, I am going to miss the Chamber business. Having served 5 years
in Chamber management, it was difficult for me to imagine leaving the
industry and making such a change. However, change is good. Change
forces growth. Granted the last two years of our life could be seen
as nothing but growth: three houses, four jobs, two states, etc. . .
(between the two of us, if you’re keeping score at home). The Chamber
business was very good to me and my experience in that position has
already been serving me well in my new job. I will certainly be
completing my Institute for Organizational Management certification
through the U.S. Chamber (after four years I will be finally
graduating!) in January.
So what is the Ambassador portion of the job you ask?
The Commission hired me with a focus to have a person out meeting and
working with the growers, getting to know them, their issues and what
CCFC can be doing for the cut flower industry. This does mean that I
will have to be traveling quite a bit. I know some people don’t like
the idea of being away from home (like I am right now at 8:30 p.m. in
LAX airport), but this is a good time in my life to be able to go and
explore and learn about California through this opportunity. I will
also be traveling throughout the country, occasionally, to represent
the Cal growers in DC and major industry events.
So I feel very blessed to have had this career opportunity develop and
I thank God for his timing in our lives.
This isn’t breaking news, but housing in Santa Barbara is ridiculous and out of touch. My post previous to this was a yurt available for $1200/month, that’s more than what I a pay a month for my house is Washington. So what? That’s not earth shattering, after all Santa Barbara is Santa Barbara–Opera lives here, what do you expect?
While during our tours of the countryside looking for housing I made a statement to Tarah about the attitude I’ve sensed from people since living here. I explained to her that there are the “haves and the have nots.” And we’re clearly representing the “have nots.” At the time I didn’t really stop to explain what I meant by that statement. I certainly feel blessed with all that I’ve been given and received. My comment was directed specifically at property and home ownership. Those people that have found a way to afford a home or have had their home before prices got to where they are today, they are the “haves.” My first experience with this attitude was at work. When I first started there was a big push to get funding for the expansion of Hwy. 101. In learning the history of this debate I learned that the opportunity to expand was offered some 10 years ago, but because the wealthy residents (the haves) wanted to the area to maintain its size and at the very least force slow growth by creating an unattractive transportation situation. That was a very strategic lobbying campaign that worked for a little while: Hwy 101 construction begins in 2008.
What that experience symbolized is the prevalent attitude that suggests, “I’ve got mine and good luck to the rest of you.”
I recently attended the economic forecast summit for Santa Barbara County. It was a lot of what you’d expect, but with some very telling specifics and statistics. 80% of the economy is driven by the service sector. The other main industry that ties into to service sector is tourism. The economist presenting joked that if you wanted to see a major downturn in the local economy people would just need to start mowing their own lawn! Meaning the jobs lost by way of people taking the time to take care of their own homes would be a significant shift here. Now that is amazing. And I’m not surprised, even our rental came with a gardener.
The other main issue that was addressed is that Santa Barbara isn’t really building an economically sustainable community. Due to these high prices of homes, very few young professionals and young families are able to continue to or consider moving here for work. This makes recruiting by companies for jobs (what Tarah does) very difficult. How do you convince a young person or a person in mid-level management that opportunity abounds here in Santa Barbara, when really its going to expensive and you probably will never afford a home with the salary we can afford to offer you?
So what is being done about this? Not much. Which is where my original comment to Tarah comes from, “the haves and have nots.” Those that have aren’t really working to establish a real framework to ensure continued community and economic development here in Santa Barbara. The avocado farmer that has been working his land for the past 45 years can not exactly expect his son or daughter to come back and work the same property, unless he expects to also surrender his own home as well. With prices of property so high, it is impossible to expect agricultural land purchased to be true investment property. The price to get in would be so high that it would take decades to truly turn a profit on that land. And how about the elected officials? Same thing, there really isn’t an answer and the attitude really seems to be that we’ll just ride this out the way it seems to be going and see where we end up, even if it is at their own detriment.
Well there you have it. My Saturday morning commentary. I want to make it clear that I am enjoying my time here (sunshine, hiking, beach, great restaurants, sunsets, perfect weather, etc.) and although I am not able to buy a home, I’m learning a lot about people, our area, real estate and economics. I just thought I’d share my perspective on it. We may be a “have not” regarding home ownership and real estate, but that might just be where God wants us right now, showing us that we “have” plenty to be thankful for in the meantime. And in that meantime. . .I’m going hiking.
I read far more than I write. However, every once in a while a subject or issue arises where the ability to put pen to paper or fingers to keys seems necessary and at the very least, a source of comfort. I recently exercised my right to share my thoughts and feelings on a subject found on Greg Scandrett’s blog: the view from the juniper tree. I’m a regular reader at Greg’s site. Greg’s commitment to express his thoughts and feelings on personal, philosophical, theological topic has been a great source of thought provoking subjects for readers to consider. It was his post Build Greg a new playlist, posted on March 1st that the sense to share my personal frustration was just too overwhelming. His blog was a simple request for readers to suggest music, but in a round about way it also was eulogy marking the end of an era for the Scandrett family and their service to a small church in downtown Shelton.
Blogs have a way of encouraging expression and seeking opinions and I always enjoy hearing what others have to say about a subject, but the subject of Brad’s termination at FBC struck an emotion that resulted in an immediate and emotional response from me regarding a subject that I feel has had too little public discussion. Greg’s most recent blog “Aiming our guns the right direction,” is a response to my comments, reader’s reaction to my comments and in large part the concern that he and many others have regarding the infighting that plagues the Christian church. Here Greg highlights the issue that the evil one is out to seek and destroy and that our fight is not really with each other and that a refocus on combating that subversion would be time better spent. My response was that I couldn’t agree more, but that it raises the question that I think is a frustration for many of us, which is “what then is the appropriate response for a Christian when confronted with evil here on earth?”
I won’t retype my comments in that post, but simply say that my original post of frustration and criticism was an expression of built up emotion on a subject that I have had significant investment. Having recently moved away, it has certainly provided a different sense of perspective and a freedom to express myself without the concern of “social” consequence. Leaving me to wish that I would have done more while still there, but at the time feeling that it wasn’t really my business and that prayer and personal encouragement would be sufficient. It wasn’t. And as a result you get the post I wrote on Thursday and you know I’m not alone. I am not the only person that feels this way about this situation.
Tomorrow morning or last Sunday should have been a very moving/touching opportunity for First Baptist Church to send Brad and Summer off onto their new adventure. The Church, especially the congregation, should have recognized the role that Brad played in the life of that Church and I won’t apologize for the sense of anger that burns towards the reality of the results.
The church either needs to close its doors or get a new pastor(s). Clearly the combination of the pastoral leadership and the elder board are not the combination the congregation should be relying on to carry them through a very critical period of church history, evident in the past year and a half. The suggestion that eliminating Brad will allow this Church to finally move comfortably into its future success is naive. You’ve heard the old adage, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Well going has been tough and the tough are nowhere to be found. There was a straight and narrow response required for the reaction to the fall of Greg. Instead we witnessed a winding often mushy and confusing direction for this church, all the way up to Brad’s encouraged retirement. The concrete statement explaining his termination was nowhere to be found. The result was the continued bumbling and mushy explanation of a matter that needed the highest level of attention and respect.
Why do I care so much to continue to rant on this subject? Again, the move to Santa Barbara has been a somewhat freeing experience. Tarah and I have continued to attend a church called Reality where I am finding inspiration and motivation in both worship and the preaching. The energy created by such an experience is contagious and captivating. I know this church probably has its issues that I will soon learn about, but the spirit of its congregation is something that I can only pray for for FBC. And FBC has been there, I can remember the years when FBC was on fire and you could sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. So, I know this isn’t a Shelton issue.
Something has to change, that’s all I’m saying.
God has certainly met us here, here in Santa Barbara. I am proud to announce that after two months of prayer and waiting, I’ve been named the President/CEO
of the Carpinteria Valley Chamber of Commerce. Tarah could not have convinced me that the decision to move back to Santa Barbara would result in stepping into a position that I enjoy and have experienced success in. No one could actually. However, God has shown me that my “ways” are not His ways and He can do all the things you ask of in His name. I feel blessed that God has seen us through a difficult transition in our lives and blessed us both with new friends, great jobs, a nice house and a beautiful city.
So I am excited about Carpinteria, a town very similar in size to Shelton. It is a beautiful small beach town with a diverse business core and great people. It also has a great brewery with some great local brews!
So, tomorrow I finish my first week. Not a full week, but my first week back and it feels great to be in the saddle again. I hope some of you come and visit Tarah and I soon. We’re having a BBQ Saturday and wine tasting on Sunday, so don’t wait, the weather is just going to get better.
Oh, and I was in the local paper today. Carpinteria also has a weekly local paper that comes out on Thursday, isn’t that quite the coincidence? The paper is called the Coastal View. The Business Brief section is on page 7. Enjoy!
I don’t know what this means, but Tarah and I are the proud owners of a little 50cc Piaggio scooter, aka Vespa.
Tarah has always wanted to have a little “scoot scoot” to cruise around SB and we are even thinking of selling her car.
Call it a “green” decision, but as costs have gone up and being “green” appears to be what the “kewl kids” are doing (according to NPR’s commentary on Bush’s speech last night), we think this will be a fun lifestyle change to experiment with.
At the very least it will balance out the two other gas guzzling rigs in our household.
As soon as Tarah gets her motorcycle license, I’ll update the photo to include the rider!
Well we have finally arrived at our new place in Santa Barbara! The move went well, thanks to the help of our family and friends. 
Tarah’s parents came up every 
weekend for two months and my parents help with the final cleaning so we would have a clean place for our renters. Nick and Jen were a big help too. They actually drove our u-haul truck, with Tarah’s car in tow, all the way down to Santa Barbara. It was a long trip, made entertaining by Nick’s spontaneous sing-a-longs on the 2-way radio.
The trip was almost without incident, but Tarah’s attempt to squeeze our mountain bikes under a hotel breezeway slowed us up a bit. Fortunately there was no damage to my Land Cruiser and only minor damage to my mountain bike. For some ironic reason, Tarah’s bike was fine.
When we finally arrived in SB, our friend’s Forest and Raya were so great to greet us with dinner from Little Rincon, a favorite college burrito stand. Loved it! Finally seeing our new house was fun too. The house was more than we expected. It is an older home with many great features. I especially like the fireplace. It’s a gas fireplace, which has been a bit different. I miss the smell of wood, but I like not having to do clean up.
The dogs are adjusting well to their daily beach schedule. We’ve enjoyed watching all three of them running through the ocean. Even little Bootie seems to not be afraid. Beau and L.C. both charge after the tennis ball. There was a little hesitancy at first, but now they are even riding the waves in. I’m looking forward to joining them when the weather is a little warmer.
Christmas away from family was hard, but because its been sunny and 70, it really didn’t feel like Christmas. We did get a tree though. It made our new house feel like a home instantly. Tarah went straight to working hanging all of our decorations. Christmas eve and Christmas day was pretty simple. Candlelight service in the evening and friends over the house for drinks and the next morning we opened gifts and went to the beach with the dogs. I made steaks and shrimp for dinner on our backyard BBQ. The BBW uses coals, which I haven’t cooked on since college.
Tarah’s new job is going well and she’s enjoying it. Its just a straight shot down the street from our house which eliminates the commuting she used to do from Shelton. She’s even talking about taking the bus! I’ve offered to buy her a Vespa, just because I think it would be pretty cool to see her scoot off to work with her helmet every morning.
Well, so far so good. I need a job, but I’m excited about the opportunities I’ve found so far. I’ve spent my time off organizing the house, establishing our communications, utilities, etc. and enjoying the sunshine. I’ve also been able to update our website and add some more photos to our flicker account. I’m hopeful I can continue to add to our blog and hear from each of you from time to time. We’ve added a “Friend’s” section to our website which we link anyone who has their own website or photo site. So if you’d like to direct people to your place from ours, let us know!
- Kasey and Tarah
With a new puppy we’ve been pretty focused on her. However, we can’t forget what a pair we have in Beau and L.C. They have been great trainers for this new pup. They also get worn out by her. I wanted to share this picture I caught of the two of them while working late one night this week. The picture is a bit small, but you can see they’ve got their legs crossed and L.C. is using Beau as a pillow.
They are great dogs!
Welcome to our updated website! With adventures ahead, we are planning on being much more communicative with this new site. We also are using this blog format to encourage your communication with us!
We have also posted hundreds of our photos on our Flickr account at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cronquist/. You can also just click on the Flickr icon on our website and it will take you there.
So what’s been going on lately?
Tarah and I recently returned from an amazing wedding in Colorado Springs. My sister Dani and her husband Mike were married on Oct. 21st. It was an outdoor wedding and yes, it was cold. . .but the location was hot! We were at a lodge located in the shadow of the rocky mountains overlooking Colorado Springs. With flaming torches burning mounted on the railing of the deck, you felt like you were at a royal event. And we were!
The Ceremony included tears, laughter and reflection and concluded with beautiful doves. The doves were a special surprise for Dani from Mike and I must say that it was a nice touch.
The reception was a truly a party! Dad gave a memorable and tear jerking job of his speech, we were all very proud of him. Nick and I also did our part by taking the mic to welcome Mike into our family. Meanwhile, the Kautz family did the job of representin’ on the dance floor. Can you say “DangerZone?”
Tarah and I also had the great fortune of staying at the Broadmoor with my parents and family. It was awesome and our rooms and service were ridiculous. Dani and Mike both work at the Broadmoor and it is a first class organization and as you can imagine Dani and Mike fit right in there.
Congratulations to Dani and Mike!
Tarah and I have also welcomed another addition to our household. . .enter Little Bootie.
“Bootie?” you say? Yes, our adorable puppy pug has one white “bootie” on her left foot. It is truly fitting when you see the pup in person, her “lil’ bootie” stands out. She is a very personable puppy that loves to snuggle, snort and snot–Tarah’s ideal dog.
Tarah and I also recently celebrated our “One Year Anniversary.” Avoiding all wind and rain, we decided to have a nice dinner out and I surprised Tarah with tickets for four at the Rolling Stones concert at Qwest Field. You must know that Dave Mathews Band opened for the Stones, making this a must attend event.
Well that’s it for now. I hope to hear from some of you and this will be a place for friend and family banter.
If blogging is good for anything, its at least good for the blogger. Nobody else may care about my 1978 Chevy Scottsdale Stepside, but I do and this is. . .my space?
So, the rumors are true! After basically 3 years of sitting in the driveway and the garage–becoming a “condo for mice”–my ol’ Chevrolet is on the road again. I must thank my wife for this dream come true, because she knew how important this truck is to me and that it didn’t deserve its terrible neglect.
What happened you ask? Well approximately 3 years ago I was having problems with my rear axel and soon it “blew out.” I was forced to rebuild it and then shortly thereafter the rebuild “blew out.” At the time I was unemployed and looking for work, so money was tight and then I learned how rare my 3:73 rearend really was.
So it was going to be costly and timely to replace the rearend, so I wound up working on other things. Then, about 3 months ago I decided that “enough was enough,” the truck was either going to rot or I was going to have to do something. Well with an open hood and an open mind I begin asking questions about the rearend and how I should begin to restart this engine that hadn’t turned over in 2+ years. This is where I believe God came to my aid. My neighbor Jim actually owns his own auto shop and tow company. He saw me struggling under the hood trying to install a new gas pump and it was there that the end was in sight. Jim mapped out a plan and within a weekend the engine was running. It smelled so good when the exhaust started pouring out of the exhaust pipes. There is nothing quite like a gasoline burning Chevy 350–or a 383 in this case. I soon noticed that we had quite the water leak. It was then Jim said that he needed to take it up to his shop and replace the freeze plug that had blown out.
I then purchased a new rearend and brought to Jim’s shop and by Sept. 30th it was ready for pick up. I love driving it around. It is so much fun and it brings back so many good memories. I am so grateful to have it and be able to drive it. Call me sentimental.
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